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| Friday, September 1, 2023 |
| September has arrived, which means we're down to the final four weeks of the 2023 season. But another way of looking at it is that there are four whole weeks left in the 2023 season. It's from that second perspective that I present to you the following information: Ronald Acuña just became the first ever player to have 30 home runs and 60 stolen bases in a season, achieving that feat with a grand slam in the second inning of Thursday's game against the Dodgers. Interestingly, that same game revealed why he's losing ground in the NL MVP race. Mookie Betts homered twice, giving him 11 (to go along with a .455 batting average) in August. Though Acuña is still the preferred choice for Fantasy, Betts has opened up a commanding lead in WAR and has likely also positioned himself as a top-five pick next year. |
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| More prospects to add |
| Sept. 1 also means expanded rosters (though by only two players these days), and already, we've heard that prospects like Ronny Mauricio and Austin Wells are on their way while others like Brett Baty and Colton Cowser are set to return. The most interesting name of all, though, is Jasson Dominguez, a 20-year-old phenom in the Yankees organization who has been lauded as a potential superstar from the time he was 16. He had a bumpy ride to the majors performance-wise, but the Yankees never took their foot on the gas, and he arrives having hit .364 (68 for 187) over his final 45 games. There figures to be growing pains, but he's a prolific enough base-stealer to smooth over them, as we've seen with Elly De La Cruz. If nothing else, you'll want to add Dominguez in five-outfielder leagues. |
| A light slate Thursday left Matt Manning as the only noteworthy pitching performance. He two-hit the Yankees over five innings and has allowed two hits or fewer in three of his past four starts. But don't be taken by his 3.62 ERA on the year. His 5.51 xERA and 5.35 xFIP tell a story of impending collapse. You'll find preferred starting pitcher pickups among my Week 24 streamers. |
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| Week 24 preview |
| Top 10 sleeper pitchers |
| You can find all of Scott White's 10 sleeper pitchers in the link above, but here are a few that stood out: |
| Gavin Williams, Guardians |
| You'll want to check back for updates on Gavin Williams' knee, which he hurt when he took a tumble in his previous start, but provided he's cleared for Monday, he'll line up for two in Week 24, the first being against a historically strikeout-prone Twins team. We've already seen him turn in a couple double digit-strikeout efforts this year. |
| Kyle Harrison, Giants |
| His start at San Diego over the weekend will go a long way toward determining if Harrison's 6 1/3 innings and 11 strikeouts last time were the tip of the iceberg or an aberration. If the Giants let him go again, then his Week 24 matchup against the Rockies could be a doozy. |
| Kyle Hendricks, Cubs |
| The surgery to repair a capsular tear in his right shoulder last year seems to have gotten Hendricks back to his pre-2021 form, because he's just a strike-throwing quality start machine right now. No reason to back down from him in a two-start week, particularly since the matchups are decent. |
| Top 10 sleeper hitters |
| You can find all of Scott's sleeper hitters in the link above, but here are a few that stood out: |
| Davis Schneider, 2B, Blue Jays |
| Davis Schneider has become a fixture in the Blue Jays lineup with Matt Chapman sidelined by injury and is looking like more than just a flash in the pan. He was plenty productive in the minors as well, despite his lack of prospect pedigree, so you can trust him to take advantage of the third-best hitter matchups this week. |
| Adam Duvall, OF, Red Sox |
| If the years have taught us anything, it's that you don't bet against a red-hot Adam Duvall, who has homered seven times in his past 10 games. The matchups are solid enough to suggest it'll continue for another week, though when it ends, you probably won't like what follows. |
| Mitch Garver, C, Rangers |
| Mitch Garver would probably be worth starting anyway as a catcher-eligible player getting near-everyday at-bats at DH and batting .302 (26 for 86) with eight home runs since the start of August. But he's scheduled to face three lefties, who he's always hit particularly well, including .340 with a .936 OPS this year. |
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| News and Notes |
| Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said he's optimistic Julio Rodriguez will return this weekend against the Mets. He's missed the last two games because of a nerve issue in his left foot.George Kirby will officially start Sunday against the Mets. He was scratched earlier this week with an illness.According to Andy Martino of SNY, the Mets' "strong expectation" is that Pete Alonso will be with the team in 2024. Walker Buehler will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A on Sunday. He'll likely need at least three starts before being activated, which sounds like mid-late September.Yu Darvish was diagnosed with a bone spur in his right elbow and will be shut down temporarily.Lane Thomas was out of the lineup due to back tightness. He also left Wednesday's game early.Jorge Soler was originally in the lineup Thursday and then scratched with that lingering right hip tightness. The Dodgers did it again! They optioned Ryan Pepiot to Triple-A on Thursday.John Means threw five scoreless innings with six strikeouts in a rehab start at Triple-A Friday. Sure seems like he's ready to go, he's 24% rostered.Kyle Wright allowed three runs over 1.2 innings in his second rehab start on Wednesday. He's 65% rostered. Nick Lodolo has officially been ruled out for the remainder of the 2023 season. Josh Donaldson signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers. He still has some work to do in his recovery from a severe calf strain and likely won't matter for Fantasy.In real baseball news, the White Sox hired Chris Getz as their General Manager. |
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